Cryptonym: AMAPOLA
See 104-10308-10275: is a reference about events on 11/29/63 involving AMAPOLA (Carbonell) - with a reference about: "On 24 Nov 63, as in the case of AMAPOLA, a special code was set up to enable A--CH (illegible) (could be Antonio Veciana Blanch??) to report by cable directly in drops to Cuba on the situation in Puerto Rico after the assassination of President Kennedy...Cuban authorities obviously were concerned about reactions and possible repercussions against Cuba as a result of President Kennedys's assassination...(this) special code was set up for the agent by which he could report by cable to Havana any unusual activities such as "YANKEE" concentrations, mercenary concentrations, increase in repression of Cuban and leftist sympathizers, and any disappearance of activist counterrevolutionaries."
Other alleged AMAPOLA agents in Miami included Ricardo Cabrera Amoedo/Cayo (worked with DRE in 1962), and Ricardo Pimentel, aka Alberto Lopez and Al Marino, see 124-90071-10056, pp. 10-13.
What is confusing is that 104-10308-10238 refers to AMAPOLA as CUIS in discussing the investigation of the Cuban espionage net known as ZRKNICK. So does 104-10308-10278 and 104-10308-10240, p. 3.
7/27/62 dispatch from Chief, JMWAVE to Chief, TFW re Jose Carbonell Marrero, a naturalized US citizen, born in Cuba. In Cuban prison from March 1960-May 1961 of his participation in the Howard Rundquist/William Shergalis flight. (124-10273-10289 reveals FBI believed Shergalis and others were Cuban agents that instigated this flight.) AMOT-6/Marcos Diaz Lanz brought Carbonell to the attention of his case agent, Henry Sloman/Tony Sforza. Carbonell said he was G-2 and wanted to be a double agent for the Americans, but when asked to provide info on G-2 he said he was not a G-2 agent. He said he was G-2 in order to obtain other things - support for a resistance group that needed "arms, ammunition, medical supplies, etc." The conclusions reached by the reporting officer were 1) there is nothing to be done; 2) Interrogate him for several days to see if he is actually a G-2 agent; 3) He is trying to ingratiate himself with the anti-Castro community in Miami; 4) We will let the anti-Castro community know he appears to be a G-2 agent - he needs to be interrogated for at least three days, anything less is useless.
104-10236-10252: MEMO TO: COMMENTS MADE BY RICARDO CABRERA AMOEDO, AKA: "CAYO"
September 1962 report from "Carlos Blanco": Ricardo Cabrera Amoedo/Cayo reported as saying, "(Tony) Varona/AMDIP-1's group, to which he belonged, was acting freely to create an incident that would force the Americans to take action...they had means to deceive the Americans." February 1963, 124-10185-10193, p. 227: The "Joe Survey, Espionage Cuba" began (Miami 65-2959, Bureau Source 6 was assigned symbol number CSMM 921-S). "On February 11, 1963, Miami began screening such mail emanating from Miami in connection captioned 'Foxtrot' Espionage - Cuba, Bufile 65-67951, Office of Origin Miami 65-2945....The purpose of the Joe Survey was to locate clandestine communications through the use of certain indicators and drop addresses on mail to Cuba, and to identify the communication as one being directed by an illegal agent through its contents and writing characteristics. This mail was intercepted in a room formerly occupied by the postal inspectors at the Biscayne Annex Post Office, Miami..." See 124-90094-10036, p. 8 - The subject of 'Foxtrot' is identified as Jose Carbonell Marrero. By 1965, a trash cover was placed on him known as CS MM 864-S. He is also identified as the subject of Foxtrot in 124-90090-10028.
March 1963: "Agent AMAPOLA was warned by Cuban IS to be careful of one Enrique CASADO Cuervo." Casado was a fisherman who owned the SHARK V, which operated between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic - and reportedly involved in more than just fishing. Casado was also "SJ T-1" and "SJ T-2" to the FBI on 7/23/65 - see 124-10283-10123 and 124-90106-10190, respectively.
104-10308-10241: FBI MESSAGE FROM AMAPOLA
Memo from Juan Amestoy/AMCANOE-9 folder states: "8 April 1963 - Juan Armestoy (sic) told me: He works with Ricardo Cabrera chief of infiltration from CIA." The next page states, "On 21 July 1963 AMAPOLA received a (REDACTED) message fwhich said that Juan ARMESTOY, Ricardo CABRERA and Jesus GONZALEZ are members of a network of agents; that it is necessary to have data on these men and the names of each one of the remaining members of the network; the group with whom it has contacts; and the degree of friendship AMAPOLA has with ARMESTOY and the others. On 5 August 1963 WAVE reported that ARMESTOY and AMAPOLA had been in Sam Severino (prison) at the same time, and WAVE believes that ARMESTOY may have been allowed by the Cuban IS to come to the US to provide counter-revolutionary contacts for AMAPOLA."
104-10308-10240: ZRKNICK: INVESTIGATION OF CUBAN EXPIONAGE NET IN MIAMI
ZRKNICK summary provides more info on aforementioned April 8 message: "The FBI intercepted a SW (shortwave) message from ZRKNICK agent to CUIS Headquarters in Havana. Said Juan ARMESTOY (should read AMESTOY/AMCANOE-9) (CIA Agent) told ZRKNICK agent about a trip he planned to Cuba with other Cubans. That an internal uprising was being prepared and six men, four Cubans and two foreigners, had already arrived in Cuba to assassinate Fidel...(COMMENT: ZRKNICK at request of CUIS Havana, continued to report on AMESTOY. AMESTOY was later arrested and killed in a gun battle or executed by the Cuban Gov't).".....The memo then cites a Sept. 3, 1963 letter, which states that "AMAPOLA (crypt for CUIS) with outstation located in the Miami area, has for its main objective the penetration of CIA and exile operations directed against Cuba. One important agent, possibly the P/A, Jose Carbonell Marrero, has been identified by the FBI and is a naturalized US citizen of Cuban birth...the FBI is currently reading his S/W messages, and the CIA is now interrogating a WAVE asset (?) who has an unexplained connection with the agent..." Carbonell later discussed the death of Armestoy in a secret writing. 104-10308-10255
104-10308-10294: MEMO: RICARDO CABRERA AMOEDO
4/30/63 memo: Cabrera was born in Habana, about 35 years old...appointed to the National Police in 1952 by the BATISTA regime...surveilled the revolutionaries in asylum...became friendly with such Cuban asylees as...Carlos Prio Socarras and Antonio de Varona...CABRERA became a TRUJILLO agent...in 1960, as an active G-2 member, CABRERA returned to Miami and continued working as an informer under VALDES' orders...In Miami, CABRERA worked for G-2, together with PIMENTAL (fnu) and Pepe NOVA, who were the chiefs of the G-2 agents in Miami. CABRERA is still a man who would sell his mother and his best friend for a dollar. CABRERA became an American citizen and used to brag about being a member of the CIA."
104-10308-10244: MEMO: ZRKNICK SUMMARY
9/3/63 memo summary: "Agents and agent complexes...are described briefly below...AMAPOLA, with outstation located in the Miami area has for its main objective the penetration of KUBARK (CIA) and exile operations aimed against PBRUMEN (Cuba)."
104-10308-10279 THE FOLLOWING IS A RETYPED COPY ON AN ILLEGIBLE COPY IN THE ZRNICK (1963) VOL 1 FILE
11/24/63 discussion for a code "YANKEE" that AMAPOLA can use for secure communication. Memo referring to "agents AMAPOLA, PAMELA and ROBERTO" (p. 5). Specific reference to "AMAPOLA - CUIS AGENT IN THE US":...a special code was set up for the agent by which he could report by cable to Havana any ususual activities..."
11/29/63: A special "schedule" was held on this date, in addition to the regular schedules of 11/10/63 and 11/24/63. This was found in the "PAMELA" folder regarding a Cuban Intelligence Service agent. AMAPOLA is identified as "Carbonell". See page 143 - he is apparently Jose Carbonell Marrero, described as the "p/a" (principal agent) and "a naturalized US citizen of Cuban birth. The FBI is currently reading his (shortwave) messages, and CIA is interrogating a WAVE asset (?) who has an unexplained connection with the agent." Also see page 147: "In addition to the regular bi-weekly schedules of 10 and 24 November, a special schedule was held on 29 November, as was done in the case of AMAPOLA (Carbonell)..."
Periodic Activity Report, Dec 1963: (Part 1) "Regularly schedule voice broadcasts continued to (illegible) to agents AMAPOLA, PAMELA and ROBERTO. The only (illegible) voice broadcasts was "FELIPE LLAMA (ILLEGIBLE). A. AMAPOLA. On the transmission of 3 November, the agent control Mission in Havana complained that the agent was using (illegible) in his secret writing messages for which no (illegible) had been received in Havana. Information was requested on one "GARRIGA" in order to determine the home? (in Cuba) in which he was located. On 16 November, the agent was told that the plan to deliver $3,000.00 to the agent (see message transmitted on 8? October 1963 in New York had been cancelled. The (illegible) is now to be delivered personally, supposedly in Toronto, Canada, after 20 January 1964. The agent was instructed to acknowledge receipt of the book ILLEGIBLE, which was sent to (illegible), one of his letter drops (see illegible transmitted as PO outside), by sending a cable saying "Service it well". Personal and family information regarding? the new drop in Mexico was also included. This (illegible), her son Felix, and grandchildren (illegible), Consuela, and Ernesto. This information was to aid the agent in writing extensive overt texts as a security measure in covering the secret writing included in (illegible) letters.
Periodic Activity Report, Dec 1963: (Part 2) "On 17 November, the agent was instructed to befriend Santiago Garriga with the ultimate aim of recruiting him for the cause of the revolution. Garriga works in an office at ____Flagler (actual address - 2607 West Flagler Street, Miami) and handles matters such as waivers, visas and taxes. The agent was instructed to proceed very cautiously with the matter, guarding his true objective, and finding out everything that he could about the subject. Garriga reportedly is desirous of helping the revolution and has access to information. His wife, Emilia was also labeled a "Prospectivia(?)" ____, a request was made for plain text values of interrogations? that the agent was using ___ were held by ____. _________ on the latest activities of Manolo Garcia."
104-10308-10238: MEMO: ZRKNICK OPERATION
Feb. 1977 Memorandum for the Record. Refers to AMAPOLA as CUIS in discussing the investigation of the Cuban espionage net known as ZRKNICK So does 104-10308-10278 and 104-10308-10240, p. 3.